Lucius bradley -bojrb



L'. Bo DORR. AEROP LANE. APPLICATION FILED JULY26. 1911.

1,363,544, Patented May 13, 191% I72 van fir;

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LUCIUS t1 a LEY-JDOJBR, F BUFFALO, NEW YORK i.

AlElltOPlLANlE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May f3, fflffl.

Application filed July 26, 1917. aerial It'o. recast To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Lucius BRADLEY Donn, a citizen of the United States, residing at lBufl'alo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to-aeroplanes, and more particularly to improvements in the construction of the planes.

The object of this invention is to increase the lifting and propelling action of the planes.

Without attempting scientific statement of the phenomena involved in the action of a plane of a flying machine (which phenomena appear not to be wholly understood), it may be stated that, in former constructions, the lifting effect of the plane or planes has been chiefly, if not entirely, upon the under side of the plane,-that is to say, that it has been chiefly the action of an inclined or convex-curved surface traveling against the air. It is also now understood that there is a tendency of the air adjacent the upper'side of a plane to flow from the center or stream line at an angle to the stream line toward the outward edges of the plane. Broadly stated, my invention consists, in order to take advantage of this outward flow of air on top of the wing surfaces and utilize it for lifting and forward thrust of the wings, in erectingribs upon said surfaces which are nearly parallel with the outward flow. These ribs, as described hereafter in detail, have several efl'ects. First the pressure of the an outward against the ribs accelerates the forward movement of the wing. Second, the control of the volume of air flowin over the surface of the wing and the sprea ing of the air over a larger surface raredli fies or produces a vacuum efl'ect between the ribs, and a consequent lifting action. Third, the air flowing between tworibs of unequal length causes a cyclonic or rotating eflect upon the air, which helps materially in producing a vacuum upon the upper surface of the planes, which condition results in adding to the thrust upon the under surface due to travel the thrust of a vacuum condition. 9

Referring to the drawings herewith,

construction.

curve which are diagrammatic in character and notto proportion or scale,

Flgure 1 is a top plan View of a plane provlded with my improvements.

F1g. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3, similar to Fig. 1, shows a modified form of construction.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The numeral 5 indicates the plane proper, which may be made in any desired form or of any desired material and provided with the desired form of supports and connections, which are not shown.

Secured to and conforming to the curvature of the upper surface of the. plane are upstand ng ribs 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, etc. The center rib 12 is upon the center streamline of the plane and practically divides it into two equal portions with reference to the effect produced. However, this rib 12 may be dispensed with, since it has little if any action other than that of making a slightly sharper divisionof the diverging currents.

The ribs 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, ll, etc., are arranged at' intervals or spaces of any desired extent, and are arranged at increasing an gularlty from the center',--that is to say, the ribt is at a sllght angle to the center line, while the rib 7 is at a slightly greater angle, the Mb 8 at a still greater angle, and so on in e1 ther direction from the center line. The spacing, frequency, or height of these ribs may be determined for any desired type of Preferably, however, they have a greater upstand adjacent the rear of the plane than at the forward or cutting edge.

The action of these ribs when the plane 1s travel1ng is, as above stated, to create a sllght v'acuurnor rarefied condition adjacent the upper surface of the plane and especiallv adjacent the rear portion of said surface also by the deflecting and impinging eflect to increase the forward thrust of .the plane.

In Figs. 3 and d l[ have shown a modified form of construction. Here the ribs 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 etc., are curved outwardly rearwardl as shown, they also may be slightly upon them upper edges, as shown, to reduce the upstand at the rear portion of the plane.

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The modifications shown in Figs. 3 and 4 are merely illustrative of the fact that the ribs may be constructed and arranged in. various Ways and still attain the end of my invention. 7

It will be understood that my invention is applicable to a flying-machine having one or more planes, and that Where more'than a single plane is used, either one or more of the planes may be provided with my improvements.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In aneaeroplane, incombination with a plane, upwardly-extending and diverging projections thereon arranged to force the subjacent air laterally from the center stream line. i

2. In an aeroplane, transversely and divergingly positioned ribs secured thereto, and increasingly diverging from the center line of said plane, whereby a slight vacuum creasing the normal lateral flow from the center stream line upon the upper surface of said plane.

4. In an aeroplane, a plane, transversely increasingly diverging upstanding ribs thereon' forming troughs of increasing cross-see tion from the front to the rear edge of the plane, whereby, coacting With the outward flow of the air, a cyclonic action'is created which tends to lift and propel the plane.

L. BRADLEY DORR. 

